Promises
by Youngbountygirl
Summary: Eight years ago, Seto and Joey made a promise together at the Orphanage. Now, reuniting after all of these years and rekindling their friendship, they've come to realize who they've become out of those very promises. They must choose to keep those promises or throw them away, which will effect who they are as a person. NOT PUPPYSHIPPING PEOPLE!
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I have writer's block today, so I decided to write a two... actually _three_ shot story (it was originally going to be a two shot, but what can you do?), which will be interesting, since I've never done one before._ No, it's not puppyshipping, you nasty people_ (just kidding XD, though seriously, this isn't puppyshipping). I know this concept has been done in children's shows and so forth, but I feel it's underhanded too much and seems like a great concept that could be used in adult shows (too bad it's never used in adult shows -_-). I was going to actually make it into a long story with multiple chapters, but it's way too simple and could take up a short story. I figured to just make this a three shot. Anyways, enjoy and review please!**

There was a small orphanage, located around the Southeastern region of Japan at the outskirts of Domino City. It contained over hundreds of young children, who were waiting to be adopted or stayed, due to uncaring parents. Adoption was very rare in this orphanage and a kid would be lucky to be adopted by an American, let alone anyone from their own country. Because of this, many of the orphans were older in their preteen or teenage years. Of course, they left at age 16.

Seto Inoue was one of the older orphans, who took English, also teaching his little brother Mokuba Inoue the language. It was normal for them to use their play time to play chess or whatever board game they could find. Sometimes they'd play with a deck of cards. Seto and Mokuba were true gamers and had a passion for them. They also had big dreams of one day create games and theme parks for kids all over the globe.

"King me!" Seto smirked, placing his red chess piece onto the end of Mokuba's side.

"You're always ahead of me!" Mokuba complained, folding his arms and pouting.

"That's because you're always predictable, Mokuba. You need to think ahead and try new moves, if you want to win," Seto said in a braggadocios manner. Mokuba sighed as his older brother smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Now co'mon, it's no fun when you give me that face. It's just a game."

"Yeah, but you always win!"

"That's because I've played longer. You'll get better. I promise!"

"Okay!" Mokuba replied, showing a bright smile across his face.

Suddenly, the game board flipped off the table, checker pieces scattering all over the floor as the older kid, who looked to be ten years old, with blond hair, freckles, and green eyes laughed in spite. Seto and Mokuba glared, Mokuba being the first person to stand up, hands balling into fists.

"Hey! That's not funny! We were playing!" Mokuba shouted.

_"That's not funny! We were playing!"_ The kid mocked Mokuba before Seto pushed him.

"How about you leave us alone!?" Seto glared.

The kid with the blond hair and freckles then pushed Seto, grabbing the front of his vest, onto the table as it fell over and Seto hit his knee on one of the blocks on the floor. The kids all began laughing as Seto scrabbled onto his feet and began tackling the blond haired boy with the freckles to the ground, beating him senselessly.

A teacher with glasses and brunette hair took Seto by the back of the shirt and pulled him away from the blond kid, who was now crying.

_"Seto hurt me!"_ The blond kid cried.

"You started it by messing up our game!" Seto shouted.

"I don't care _who_ started it, that was bad of both of you to be fighting like this! Now, both of you say you're sorry!" The teacher ordered.

_"I'm sorry,"_ Seto muttered.

_"Same,"_ the kid muttered angrily as well.

"Good. Now, I don't want you both to be fighting again, especially _you_ Johnny. I'm tired of getting onto you all the time. Stop teasing the little ones," the teacher said as Seto returned and helped Mokuba push the table back up.

"I'm sorry, Seto. It's my fault you got in trouble," Mokuba apologized, sighing.

"No. I'm the one, who decided to get even, not you," Seto said, placing the Checker board back up.

_"MOMMA, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!"_ Seto heard the screaming voice of a red-headed little girl, who was kicking and screaming in an older woman's arms.

"Serenity, Momma's only going to be gone for a little while. Please calm down, Sweety," the mother said softly, but the little girl screamed louder, hot tears bursting from her eyes.

"I'll be here! Please don't cry," an older boy, who was Seto's age, said soothingly. He seemed to be the older brother of the little girl, especially since she calmed down for a while, before crying again.

_"I don't wanna go! I don't wanna go!"_ The little girl cried and wept. Her mom kissed her, then set her down before leaving. The little girl Serenity continually bawled her little head off, tears bursting from her eyes._ "MOMMA! MOMMA! MOMMA!"_

"Serenity, it's okay! I'm here! You wanna play blocks?" The older brother asked, but his sister kept crying.

Seto watched this whole scene, remembering when him and Mokuba first moved into this place. Mokuba did the very same thing. He would never stop crying for his Auntie May, who would never return after leaving, for hours and hours. Seto couldn't help, but pity for the poor little girl, who was crying hurtful tears for her mother to come back and she would not.

Mokuba walked up to the little girl with a stuffed lion in his hand. He knelt down as the girl stopped crying for a second or two for Mokuba to give her the stuffed lion. Her bottom lip still quivered, staring at the lion, then up at Mokuba.

"I held on Leo the lion when my Auntie May left me here. He usually comforted me. You can have him, if you want," Mokuba offered as Serenity hugged onto the soft stuffed lion, tears rolling down and falling onto the lion.

Seto smiled, feeling proud that his little brother was willing to give away Leo the lion, his favorite stuffed animal. He walked up to the older brother, sitting next to him.

"Is she your sister?" Seto asked.

"Yeah. Her name's Serenity. This is the first time she's ever been far from Momma. My name is Joey Wheeler," Joey introduced.

"Seto Inoue. Your folks left you too?"

"Na. Momma's only dropping us here for a little while, so she can leave Papa."

"My Auntie May said she'd come back, but she never did," Seto said, clutching onto his legs.

"I'm sorry. Where's your Momma and Pappa?"

"They're in heaven."

"Oh... sorry about that."

"Yeah."

"You wanna play?"

Seto smiled, nodding and replying, "sure."

"I thought we were playing!" Mokuba whined.

"We can all play together. How about Chinese Chess?" Joey suggested as Seto and Mokuba nodded together.

Seto and Mokuba got out the board and set the marbles in place. The trio played together, while Serenity watched, holding Leo the lion in her arms. She eventually joined in playing. The four kids enjoyed themselves playing, Seto and Joey forming a quick friendship instantly, since they had so much in common. Mokuba would always cheer Serenity up, while Seto and Joey found different games for them to play together as a group.

Seto and Joey were always protective over their younger sibling and, due to this, always supported each other and the other's little sibling. They became a team. When one or both of them were harassed, they'd always stand up to the older kids and scare them away. Of course, Joey would sometimes bully the older kids that picked on him, Serenity, or his friends. One time, one of the older kids was playing on the swing outside, then Joey ran up and pushed him off the swing and the older kid landed in the mud.

"Hey! What was that for!?" The older kid shouted as Joey laughed

"Joey, that wasn't funny!" Seto rebuked, folding his arms.

"Why you standing up for _him_!? He's always picking on us!" Joey argued.

"Just because he picked on us, doesn't give us the right to do the same to him! It makes _us_ the bullies and that's not right!"

"I'm not a bully!"

"Yes you are!"

"Hey, you two stop it!" The teacher said.

"That kid pushed me!" the older kid shouted, pointing at Joey.

"Is this true?" The teacher asked, as Joey glared at the ground.

"I was just teaching him a lesson. He's always picking on us. I can't just stand around and let him pick on us all the time!"

"That doesn't give you the right to push him in the mud. Seto, were you involved in this?" The teacher asked, glaring at Seto.

"No, he was telling me to stop," Joey defended as Seto's eyebrows rose.

"I see," the teacher replied, looking at Seto. "Thank you, Seto." She looked back at Joey. "Tell him your sorry."

"No, I won't!" Joey said stubbornly, folding his arms.

"Then, you can sit in the Time-Out Corner until you're ready to say you're sorry," the teacher replied as Joey marched to a little corner by the bricked orphanage. Seto glared, folding his arms and stared down at the ground. "You did the right thing in trying to stop him."

"I'm mad. Joey was being a bully and he didn't say he was sorry," Seto said.

"Well Seto, Joey doesn't come from a nice family. His father is very mean to him, so he's picked up some things from his father," the teacher said, kneeling down to Seto's size, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's hard to be good, when you're given a poor example of _how_ to be good. Maybe you can be a good example for Joey and maybe he will learn to be good too."

"I guess."

"Will you promise me to be a good example for Joey? He seems to like you."

Seto bowed in a 30 degree angle, promising, "I promise."

"Good boy."

Seto sighed, dragging his feet to the sandbox to play with Mokuba. It was a few minutes before he noticed Joey being released from the Time-Out Corner, then going to the older kid he pushed off the swing, bowing to him apologetically. Seto continued to play in the sand, digging deep to get to the wet stuff to build sand castles. He'd put the wet sand in the bucket, then turned it upside down to make a sand castle.

Seto heard foodsteps from Joey, who approached him, then said, "I'm sorry." He bowed apologetically.

"It's okay," Seto replied quietly as Joey sat by him.

"Are we still friends?"

"Yeah. I'm still upset, but you're my friend and I forgive you."

"Thank you."

"Thanks for sticking up for me."

"You would do the same for me."

"Yeah, but... no one has ever done that for me before, except Mokuba."

"Yeah," Joey said, digging into the sand with his hands to get out the wet sand. "Someday, I'm going to get out of this place: away from Pappa, away from everything, then I'm gonna have a place on my own with just me and Serenity, living it out. I can even pay for her eyes."

"Eyes? You can't buy eyes," Seto corrected, furrowing his eyebrows.

"That's not what I'm talking about. Serenity's eyes are really bad and has to go to the hospital to get them fixed very soon. Though, Momma says she might not have the money. Pappa spent it all on beer and gambling... at least that's what Momma says," Joey explained.

"Maybe I can help you get a place of your own after Mokuba and I start running a business of our own," Seto said.

"What are you talking about?"

"We plan on owning a gaming company and selling games for kids all over the world that are orphans."

"Really!?" Joey asked with amazement in his eyes.

"Yep! We're going to build theme parks, schools, games of our own, you name it!"

"Wow! That's cool! Maybe I can work with you!"

"Yeah, but you need to go to school and get a college degree and stuff."

"You plan on doing all of that?"

"Sure am! Of course, nobody believes I can do it. They always laugh at me," Seto said, then glared at Joey, who was smiling. _"You're not laughing are you?"_

"No, I think you can do it! In fact, how about I go to college and stuff too, then work with you? We can be like a team!"

"Okay, but you've gotta promise me you'll do that and I'll promise to give you money for your sister's operation, including a place of your own. Will you promise?" Seto asked with serious eyes.

"Of course!" Joey replied.

"Don't just say 'of course.' A promise is like a written contract. When you make a promise, you have to keep it no matter what."

"Why?"

"Because it's right. If you break a promise, you make yourself a liar. Do you plan on keeping this promise no matter what?"

"Yes! I will keep my promise no matter what!" Joey promised.

"And I will keep mine no matter what too!" Seto replied.

"Okay kids, time to go inside!" The teacher called out to the kids for supper.

Seto and Joey studied hard at the school they went to, wanting to keep the promises they made to each other. Of course, Seto's dream was coming just around the corner when Gozoburro Kaiba announced his visitation. Seto sought this as the perfect opportunity to make his dreams come true. Excited, he told Joey about this, while they were playing Dominoes.

"But nobody ever gets adopted here, unless it's someone from America or something," Joey said.

"Which is why I'm going to persuade him to make a bet with me in a game of Chess. If I win, Mokuba and I can get adopted and we can make our dreams come true," Seto explained.

"But then, I'll never get to see you again."

"You will. Gozoburro visits here sometimes, so I can see you during one of those days."

"I guess, but what if you lose?"

"I won't lose. I'm the champion of Chess," Seto smirked.

"But you've never been in competitions. Gozoburro has."

"So what? I've played more times than he has. I promise you Joey, I _will_ win."

"Remember when you said you shouldn't make promises you can't keep?"

_"I will keep that promise!"_

"Okay," Joey said, seemingly a bit doubtful. Seto meant every word of it. He didn't want to be stuck in this orphanage, being bullied and harassed by other kids, much longer. He needed to make his and Mokuba's dream come true and keep his promise to Joey. Joey was his best friend and best friends keep promises to each other_ no matter what_.

Seto continually played and practiced the game Chess before Gozoburro's arrival. When Gozoburro did arrive, Seto challenged the man at the game and he accepted. He knew the game front and back, not expecting to ever lose. Of course, the multimillionaire of armed weaponry felt the same way. It was no time before Seto found himself in a pickle. He had to find a way of winning. _He couldn't break his promise to Joey!_

Seto made the most risky move and cheated to win the game and keeping his promise to Joey. He won the game and was instantly adopted. Though, that _winning_ came with a heavy price Seto had to pay, which would challenge him for the rest of his adult career.

The day Joey watched Seto and Mokuba enter the limo, he never saw the brothers at the orphanage again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the second one. Now, before you start nagging on me about some of this stuff, you will notice many culture different aspects of Japan. It's shown majorly here like how the students only have one classroom, everyone eats lunch at the said "classroom," using yen instead of dollars, using city blocks instead of street names, etc. So yeah, this is going to feel alot like Japan. Review please!**

Seto Inoue was now Seto Kaiba. It had been eight years, since he had been adopted by Gozoburro Kaiba. Many things had happened, since that day that changed Seto physically and emotionally. He now owned a multimillion dollar company now called Kaiba Corp, fulfilling his dream to distribute games all around the world to children young and old. He was also in the works of building a theme park in Domino City called _Kaiba Land_ where children young and old could go and play. Orphan children would be given a free discount.

Seto undressed from his PJ's, thinking about the dreams that would soon be fulfilled, then seeing the deep scars below his neck where Gozoburro had pressed a tight string against his neck to make him sit up and study. The string rubbed against his skin so much that it ripped Seto's skin open and bled. He slightly touched the scars with the tips of his fingers and those painful memories returned, hearing the shouts from Gozoburro, feeling the spit land on his face that matched perfectly with the ear-numbing voice that made him tremble. The monster that once called Seto _a worthless orphan_.

It didn't matter anymore. Gozoburro was gone and Seto had to remind himself that. The madman committed suicide after Seto took over Kaiba Corp. to save himself and his brother from being left on the streets. Now, they lived a better life, a life free from suffering and hard-aches. They were going to start a new life from homeschooling to a regular public school. They can _finally_ make some friends and forget what happened with Gozoburro only a year and a half ago before going through major therapy.

Seto placed on his Domino High School uniform, which consisted of blue pants, a white buttoned up shirt and a buttoned jacket. He made sure anything that needed to be done at Kaiba Corp. was handled, while he was in school. Even though Seto ran a huge company and had the education he needed to do so, including his little brother, he still wanted to be free and walk among his peers. He no longer wanted him and his brother to be trapped in the cage of their mansion and company. It was time to start a new life.

The Kaiba brothers ate breakfast together quietly, having eaten together this quiet since the death of Gozoburro. Seto looked over at his little brother, who was eating, eyes glaring.

"Did you take your medicine?" Seto asked.

"Of course I did, Seto," Mokuba replied matter-of-factly.

"Just checking," Seto replied, eating a bit of rice. Him and his brother were diagnosed with PTSD after the death of Gozoburro. They had to take their medication to keep their stress level to a minimum, especially since they ran a huge company.

The brothers rode the limo to their schools. Mokuba was the first to be dropped off, then Seto. He listened to some music on the radio, drinking coffee on the way to his school. He checked over in his mind what he brought with him to school: his bookbag, school supplies, pens, pencils, paper and text books. That was pretty much everything he needed for school. The limo would pick him up at the precise time school was over, no more no less.

The limo stopped at the school, which was Domino High. The limo driver exited from the car and opened the door for Seto. He did notice many people staring over at him, not that he could blame them; this was the first time any student has seen someone come out of a _car_ when being dropped to school, let alone a limo. Students talked among themselves. _This was expected._

Seto walked to change into his school shoes, then headed for his classroom. He sat at his assigned seat, getting out his paper to take whatever notes needed to be taken. He just needed to focus on his studies, this time _without_ someone yelling in front of his face to _pay attention and not laze around_. That was a relief!

The teacher came to the classroom all dressed up with makeup, a simple dress, and high heels. She announced, "good morning, students! I am your teacher Miss Chono and I will be teaching you this year!" Seto looked up at his new teacher. He could almost smile at how much makeup this teacher put on herself that would make Gwen Stefani proud. "Before I start explaining the rules, I will be taking role call! Ryan Garnafi..."

"Here!"

"Jane Mitzumi!"

"Here!"

Seto sighed quietly to where no one could hear him. This roll call was going to take a while, from how he saw it. He decided to glance inside his textbook, while names were being called. It was his Science book, filled with different picture examples and paragraphs explaining the Scientific Method and how it works. Of course, this was inside the _earlier_ chapters of his Science text, which were usually reviews of what the students should already know. Even this _textbook_ didn't give him anything interesting.

"Joey Wheeler!"

"Here!"

Seto's head bolt straight up, hearing that name. He looked over at the blond-haired teenage in the third seat of the second row. After mentioning his name, _Joey_ seemed to going back to talking with another teenage boy with grown hair that seemed to be pointing up like he was wearing hairgel. Memories came flooding back into Seto's mind of the boy he met at the orphanage, who was once considered his best and only friend he ever played with. Seto bit the bottom of his lip, trying to stare at his Science textbook again, but could not leave his eyes off of the teenage boy with the blond scruffy hair and bright blue eyes.

From what Seto could see, Joey was mostly minding his own business, not really paying attention to what was going on around him. He was talking to the brown-haired guy Tristan Taylor, who seemed to be Joey's new friend. The two were carrying on, chuckling as well. Seto couldn't help, but smile, but tried not focusing on Joey. While they did meet those years ago, it wasn't like it mattered now. It was so long ago that Seto doubted Joey remembered.

"Seto Kaiba!"

"Here!" Seto responded loud and clear. His eyes instantly darted back to Joey's direction. They instantly had eye contact, not even making a blink.

Joey's facial expression was very blank, full of awe. The two teenage boys drew the connection, staring with blank expressions for a long period of time. Seto didn't know if he or Joey would make the first move. _Did Joey remember him?_ Seto kept wondering this in his head.

Seto finally smiled and slightly waved his hand. Joey seem to smile in return before returning back to talking with Tristan. Seto couldn't help, but form a smile of his own. He was able to easily pay attention to his lessons again, taking notes and studying on his work. He supposed it was great that Joey did remember him from back at the orphanage.

After several subjects, lunch came and Seto got himself something to eat, then sat at his desk. It was just some rice, sardines, a half an orange and milk. This wasn't as good as the food at home, but was good enough for him to eat at school. Afterall, it was only right to eat what was brought to him. That was something that never left Seto, even after the torture he faced from Gozoburro. Seto found it funny how much Gozoburro had taken from him, since leaving the orphanage.

Seto noticed someone sitting across from him, knowing it was Joey._ It had to be._

"Seto, I can't believe it's _you_!" Joey grinned with excitement. "Wow, how long has it been?"

"Eight years," Seto replied plainly.

"Wow," Joey responded, eating a bite of rice. "Time flies, huh?"

"Yeah," Seto replied. He drank some milk, trying to think of what to say. For some reason, he felt as if he completely forgot something important, though didn't know what it was. "I'm sorry I couldn't see you once a year, like I originally planned."

"No worries, bro. I understand," Joey replied, biting the corner of his bottom lip. "Anyways, I... how things been going for ya, so far?"

"It's fine, I suppose," Seto shrugged, taking a bit of rice from his chop sticks. "Mokuba and I decided to go to public school and restart things after gaining control of Kaiba Corp."

"Wait, _you're_ in control of Kaiba Corp. now?" Joey asked in such shock. "_Wow!_ That's great! Congrats! Though, I didn't expect you to gain control of the company _this_ early, no offense."

"Non taken. I studied really hard to win my successes," Seto smirked braggingly.

"So, what's happened with Gozoburro?"

Seto's expression changed to a more gritty one, which made Joey raise two eyebrows. Seto whispered,_ "he committed suicide."_

Joey's expression turned blank, his mouth gaped into a perfect circle. It took about five seconds for Joey to start moving a muscle or change his expression from what it previously was and say, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. He doesn't _exactly_ have a recognition to be a_ father figure_, so to speak," Seto said in an almost dark tone. Joey's expression turned dark for a second before looking at Seto with such pity.

"I know how you feel, bro."

"Don't pity me. I'm pulling my own weight just fine."

"Hey, you Joey's old buddy?" Tristan asked, pulling up a chair to sit by Joey.

"Something like that. We met at the orphanage," Seto replied plainly.

"My name's Tristan Taylor. Nice to meet you."

_"Whatever."_

"Don't worry about it," Joey assured Tristan. He could already see that Seto had been hurt from living with Gozoburro. Of all people, Joey knew what it was like to live with a terrible father and have to bare his burdens.

"I suppose I should ask how Serenity is doing," Seto said.

"She's at the hospital," Joey replied as Seto expression froze for a second.

"Sorry to hear that."

"The doctors say Serenity might be able to see clearly, if they perform surgery on her eyes, but the cost is high as it gets. If Mom and I don't find some sort of way to get some money by next year, they say she'll be permanently blind."

"I think you mentioned something like that back at the orphanage."

"Yeah... it's gotten worse since."

"Very sorry... Mokuba liked her alot."

"Yeah..." Joey responded, showing a soft smile. He looked up at Seto. "Say, since we're seeing each other again, how about we go to the arcade sometime? What do you say?"

Seto thought on it for a while, then showed a smile. He replied, "sure. Why not?"

"Sweet! It's good to see you back, Seto. I really missed ya," Joey said as Seto snorted and the two chuckled.

"Though, I do have to work many of the days, so I won't always get to hang out twenty-four-seven. I will only get an hour to hang out before I have to get going."

"No pressure! You are running a major corporation. I'm not gonna blow a gasket, if you have to ditch me."

"Good," Seto replied.

"Cool!" Tristan replied.

After school, Tristan was able to talk to Joey, the two walking on their way to their bicycles. There was a bicycle parking lot outside of the school where all the students parked their bikes or motorcycles. It was almost like how the parking lot in America and Europe had car parking spaces. The only differences was that this one was of bikes, being that Japan hardly had anyone use cars, being that the gas prices were expensive.

"Seto seems okay, though doesn't seem to have alot in him and is kinda rude," Tristan said.

"I think he's been through alot from Gozoburro. Seto wasn't like this when I met him," Joey stated, kneeling down to unlock his bike. "I should've stopped him."

"From what?"

"Challenging Gozoburro to that stupid Chess match... see, Seto was adopted by Gozoburro through a Chess match. Seto had big dreams to own a gaming company, building theme parks and stuff."

"Wow. That's a huge dream from someone living in an Orphanage most or all of his life."

"Yeah... anyways, he won the Chess match and Gozoburro _had_ to adopt him, according to the bet. He signed the adoption papers and I saw Seto and Mokuba get into that car... that was the last I saw him," Joey explained. He had finished unlocking his bike and was now on it, clutching onto the handles. "That jerk did _something_ to him! He made Seto into a hallow shell. He was always happy and snarky and now..."

"I hope you're not thinking it's your fault, because it wasn't. Afterall, _you_ didn't get Gozoburro to sign the adoption papers."

"I guess, but if Seto hadn't challenged him, he would still be the happy and snarky kid I'd know today," Joey said, sighing. "Perhaps we shouldn't have..."

"What?"

"N-Nothing Tristan. Anyways, we did say we'd meet Seto at the arcade. We don't wanna be late, right?" Joey asked with his smirk as Tristan showed one of his own.

"Yeah."

Tristan and Joey peddled their bikes on their way to the arcade at the corner of Block 26. Seto had obviously made it first before the two other boys. He supposed spending time with them would be fine and it would give him the chance to find some games _challenging_ enough for him to take on. He had plenty of money, so he could play a few games, maybe win some prizes. In fact, that's what Seto did, when Tristan and Joey made it to the arcade.

The three played a car racing game with Seto easily gaining first place in every race. While Gozoburro made Seto study nonstop, that didn't stop him from finding ways of playing games. Afterall, he lived in luxury. Gozoburro would often buy all sorts of games for Seto and Mokuba to get them to stop crying and whining. Because of this, games were their obsession to the point of OCD, though it was never treated. Games were the only thing that kept the Kaiba brothers happy during their living with Gozoburro.

"Dangit!" Tristan responded, losing for the 14th time in a row. Seto instantly got up from the seat, sighing.

"This is boring. I'm going to find something else to play," Seto decided.

"What do you want to play?" Joey asked.

"Something that's challenging."

"We could try over there," Joey said, pointing to a game with four stations to control the player with a wide screen in front, which showed four different screens with a samuri in armor and weapons. "It's usually a challenge depending on who the player you're fighting against is."

"Are there any _good_ players?" Seto asked.

"Usually, there are. Tristan and I have played it before and it's alot of fun. We're... pretty good. Never made the top ranks before, but... yeah."

Seto placed a few coins in the slot, then gave the game Joey suggested a try. Him and Tristan played too, who were better at this game than the racing game. The fourth player, who played against them, was a Domino High student name Yugi Moto, who usually played a few games by himself like Pop-up Pirates and stuff. He was surprisingly more challenging for Seto than anyone else.

The game ended in a draw, being that the game had a time limit. Seto felt frustrated, looking directly at Yugi, who gave him a smile. Seto decided to calm himself down. After all, he was _looking for a challenge_ and he got what he wanted. Seto had to laugh at himself quietly, before stepping off the platform to give the other players a turn.

"That was sure heating up," Joey smirked as Seto gave out a smirk.

"That was a good game!" Yugi said, showing a smile. "I think I saw you at school. What's your name?"

"Seto Kaiba. Guess you don't have a good attention span," Seto smirked as Yugi rubbed the back of his neck, looking so bashful.

"By the way, why are you still wearing your school uniform? You think school is still going on?" Joey mocked as Yugi slightly blushed, shrugging. He was the only person wearing a school uniform, being that Joey, Tristan and Seto were wearing their casual clothes. Joey had a his Soccer jacket over a white shirt and jeans, Tristan had a tan jacket over a green shirt and jeans, and Seto had a black long-sleeve shirt and khaki pants.

"You know, you guys are such jerks! Yugi looks great just the way he is!" Tea, who was often seen with Yugi, defended with glaring eyes.

"_He's_ the one making fun of your boyfriend. Though, he does stick up like a sore thumb, so please excuse Joey for trying to help him know how to look _normal_, not that it's any of my business what the heck he wears," Seto said, pointing his thumb at Joey.

_"Excuse me!"_

"You're excused, just don't do it again," Seto smirked as Tea's face turned hot red.

"Please no fighting," Yugi begged as Tea took a deep breath.

"Hm... I notice you bring games to school everyday. If you're as good with them as you're good with _Samurai Fighter_, I might play one of those after school or during lunch."

"Really?"

"I haven't found a real challenge in a long time, so yes."

Yugi smiled, then replied, "thank you!" before leaving. Tea followed him.

"That was pretty slick; what you did with Tea," Joey smirked, laughing. "I could never get that woman to shut up."

"_Pff_ whatever. I've met more annoying women at work. They're just pests you need to flick off the window to get them to shut up," Seto spouted out.

The trio stayed and played at the arcade for a while before Seto made the top charts of every game he played and instantly grew bored. Tristan and Joey did leave for a while to get some soda, giving them time alone to talk.

"Joey, I know Seto is your old buddy and I respect that, but... no offense, he's _really_ selfish and rude and has been acting like this, since we first got here," Tristan stated.

"I know Tristan, but you gotta consider that we were worse than that at one point. Heck, we joined a gang that sold drugs and ran an Underground Casino," Joey stated.

"I suppose, but we've always respected each other, including our friends. Seto has as much respect to us as a step parent toward his step kids."

"I don't think it's his fault, Tristan. He wasn't always like this. I think Gozoburro did something to Seto to make him act this way. He probably doesn't know what he's doing is wrong."

"Joey, he called you _worthless_ only five minutes ago, because you lost to a game of _Pac-Man_."

"I know that Tristan and I called him out on it! Tristan, I'm not going to just leave him, just because he got carried away. I seriously believe he was raised to think acting like this is normal. I'm sure he'll eventually start being nicer in time."

"You seriously think you can change him?"

"No... but he's still my friend, Tristan. You don't have to like him, but I'm not leaving him."

"Okay man, I'm not saying you should. I'm just saying how it is."

Joey sighed, drinking his cola. Seto did often play a few games against Yugi, being that he was a true gamer. Joey did play against Seto a few times, being that he enjoyed playing games. They played Blackjack and Checkers a few times.

"Hit!" Joey said, drawing a card and seeing it was a Queen of Hearts.

"Bust," Seto smirked.

"Dang it! I knew I should've chosen stand!"

"Up for another round of losing?"

"Okay, time to get out your books and put your lunch in the trash!" Miss Chono announced.

"Maybe later," Joey replied, returning to his signed seat.

Seto usually worked, so the times to hang out with Joey would be on random days. Sometimes it would be at the arcade; which Seto would instantly get bored after a while, a movie, or anyplace where they could walk or ride their bikes. Their tastes had not changed very much, but usually would glance over the personalities and characteristics of each other, which were very different from the last they've seen each other. Often, during their talks, Tristan would not be around, since he often avoided being around Seto, due to his attitude.

"This is ridiculous. My father decided to go gamble our money again," Joey complained.

"Have you tried making your own bank account to hide the money?" Seto asked.

"That's the problem. I do try that, but then the bills start coming in and I have to pay for it or neither of us will have a roof over our heads! Things have been getting worse, since the stupid divorce," Joey said, kicking the grass.

"You need to get out of that place or kick your old man out."

"I can't kick my own dad out of the house. He's my dad after all. Besides that, compared to Gozoburro, if Dad is out of the house, he wouldn't last a day out. Nobody ever thinks right when they're drunk."

"I suppose our lives are different," Seto said, him and Joey.

"Eh, I think we're a bit more similar. We became friends for a reason," Joey said, smiling at the cloudy sky above, opposite of the sun. He turned to Seto. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen you smile like you used to back at the orphanage. You used to do it often."

"Really?" Seto asked, a smile forming upon his lips.

"Like that! I haven't seen you do that in a while."

"You're so incredibly pathetic... I think I might compliment you for it."

"Really?" Joey smirked.

"Yeah... you seem content with what imperfection you have."

"Not always, but I make do with what I've got."

Seto couldn't help, but chuckle. He hadn't felt happy in a long time, to feel comfort from having Joey by his side. He had felt lost and alone for too long with Gozoburro and only had Mokuba to keep whatever sanity he had left. Seto had forgotten how much he wanted to see Joey again those many years ago. It felt shorter than eight or seven years. If Seto was not Japanese, he would be crying at this moment.

"Something wrong, bro?" Joey asked.

_"I'm fine. I know it's been five days, but I'm happy to be with you again,"_ Seto admitted quietly.

"Same here. It's good to see you back," Joey replied, then noticed Seto's blank look. Seto stopped, then leaned against a pole

_"I-I need... to rest."_

"You feel like some tea? There's a tea shop over here," Joey asked, pointing to a _Tea Cafe_.

"Yes..." Seto replied as him and Joey entered inside the Tea Cafe and ordered some tea. While it was on its way of being made. Joey looked up, seeing Seto showing overwhelming emotions behind those blue eyes.

"Have you made any friends, since the orphanage? Anyone in those rich private school places?"

"Mokuba and I have been home schooled, so..."

"You _serious_?" Joey asked in almost a whisper as Seto leaning his head on his two hands, his two fingers rubbing against his temples.

"I have a Kocha with whole cream!" The employee at the other end of the counter called.

"It's for us!" Joey responded, getting Seto's tea, since Seto had already paid for it. He took it with both hands and began drinking several gulps of it to swallow down the huge lump in his throat before taking a deep breath.

"I'll be fine. I just have a migraine."

"Don't worry about it," Joey responded with a small smile as Seto gave one in return.


	3. Chapter 3

**This should be the last one. I am fearing that this might be a bit rushed, but I don't think it is. Review please!**

Seto was walking on his way out of the school building, having changed his shoes from his shoe locker. He knew he had to be at work very soon, being that the days he worked, he had to arrive right after school, no stops along the way. Of course, being that Seto was in charge of Kaiba Corp, he could arrive slightly late, but arriving on time would be the only way to make sure the company was running smoothly and his employees weren't slacking off. Even Mokuba couldn't pull this off alone, especially with the Big Five thinking they ruled the roost.

"So, you're going to hand me the answers to my assignment papers, right?" Tristan asked in a threatening voice to Yugi, being that he was often harassed by Tristan. Joey harassed Yugi sometimes too, but usually, it was more playful.

_"Y-Yes Tristan,"_ Yugi agreed meekly.

"You're so pathetic," Seto snorted, passing by.

"Were you talking to me!?" Tristan asked threateningly.

_"No, I was talking to the wall."_

"I don't know why Joey likes you, you're such a jerk!"

Seto laughed mockingly, so loud the whole school could hear it. He turned, saying, "look who's talking, Mr. You're-Going-to-Hand-me-the-Answers-to-my-Assignment-Papers! Say what you want about how much of a _jerk_ I am, I don't make weaklings do my dirty laundry, unless I pay them." He looked at Yugi. "And Yugi, don't think you're getting off the deep end here. You're just as pathetic to let this loser treat you like his personal slave. Unless he's _paying_ you to do his homework, he can do his own dang homework and work his way to the top like everyone else! You don't act this way, when you're playing Chess against me, why should you spoil this one?"

"Hey, what we're doing is non of your business!" Tristan shouted.

"Stop! No more fighting!" Yugi cried out fearfully. He looked at Seto. "And it's fine. I don't-"

"I know you _don't mind_, it's not about that. It's a sense of pride, which neither of you have. Being nice and being weak are two different things and what you're _being_ is weak and pathetic. I don't call someone my rival, if he's showing himself to be weak and pathetic. That's why I never challenge Tristan to a match," Seto said, walking down the hall.

Tristan glared, grinning his teeth as Yugi looked down at the ground. He sighed, then dug in his book bag to get out a folder with some pieces of paper. He handed it to Tristan, who looked at Yugi with his glare still visible.

"Here. I-I changed my mind. I don't want to do your homework, Tristan. I was just afraid I'd be rude, if I said 'no.' Besides, I'd be cheating for you, if I did it, and I don't like cheating. I'm sorry," Yugi said, then ran off as fast as he could.

* * *

Meanwhile, Seto entered inside the limo to head off to work at Kaiba Corp. For the most part, he was working on his plans for_ Kaiba Land_ and some ideas for new games to distribute. He also worked on delivering packages of games to different local game stores, including answering phone calls from them. This took hours throughout the entire day before Seto could finally have a lunch break.

Seto's and Mokuba's lunch breaks were at different times, being that _someone_ had to take over in the other's place. The lunch break also lasted an hour, meaning that Seto could leave the building during his break and come back to work again. Usually, he did this, since he hated being inside one place for hours. It was bad enough Seto had to face that when he lived with Gozoburro. Since _he_ was in charge of the entire company, he felt he could leave the building, if he wanted to, on his break.

Seto walked down the sidewalk to a nearby _Yoshinoya_ and ordered a Yaki Udon Bowl – Chicken and a Dr. Pepper. Seto usually came here to eat during his break often, since it had the best food, was quiet, and was closer to Kaiba Corp. than most of the popular restaurants. This was the only place he knew where he could just order his food, eat quickly and go back to his job. In fact, he'd mostly return back to work earlier than his break, considering he always ate close by.

When Seto was done, he threw his trash away, still drinking the last bit of his Dr. Pepper before watching Joey come into the restaurant, knowing that this is where Seto had his lunch break. Joey walked to Seto, who was still drinking his soda through the straw.

"We need to talk," Joey stated. Seto threw his drink away.

"I have to be back at Kaiba Corp. in 45 minutes," Seto said, then the two walked outside down the sidewalk to a small alley, where they could talk in private. Seto leaned against the brick wall and listened.

"I want to know what happened between you and Tristan after school. He seemed kinda pissed when we talked," Joey said.

"I told him exactly how it was. Him and Yugi were being pathetic and needed some sense hammered into their skulls."

"You didn't have to call him a loser!"

"You mean because he was making Yugi do his homework? _So sorry for talking down on your friend for bullying someone weaker than him._ Last I checked, that was a _good_ thing I was doing."

"Oh right, like you've never been a complete jerk once in your life!"

"I don't make other people do my dirty laundry and I don't bully those less fortunate or weaker. You and your friend, on the other hand, seem to find enjoyment out of it and to this day and I still don't understand it."

"I don't pick on the weak! How dare you!"

"_Uh-huh._ Okay true, you don't go as far as your friend did, but you do have a thing for taking things from the kind of people that sit in a dark corner and want to be left alone. If not the weak, you'd pick a fight or take revenge on those that do harm to you. Maybe not physically, but words and punches look the same to me, only words can cut too."

_"And you've never bullied _anyone_ in your life?"_

"What have I done that was considered _bullying_?"

"Well, calling Tristan and I pathetic losers for losing to you in a stupid game can be considered that!"

"Last I checked, gamers do that in order to stir up the other players to try their very best! You also never said it hurt your feelings,_ so sorry for hurting your feelings!_ You could've told me, if you didn't like it!"

"Shouldn't it be obvious that insulting other people is considered _hurtful_!?"

"Shouldn't it be obvious that insults can be considered _nonhurtful_, if you're just teasing or playing?"

"_Ugh!_ I hate it when you're like this! All I'm asking is for you to stop being a freakin' jerk to my friends and you just respond by saying why it serves you justice!"

"Just like you did with that kid at the orphanage when you pushed him off the swing and into the mud!?"

"That was eight YEARS ago! You know I'm not like that anymore!"

"No, you're worse, because instead of bullying other people that have hurt you, you're bullying those that don't deserve it! If not growing worse, you haven't changed that part of you, Wheeler!"

"You're right. I haven't _changed_, you have! You used to be nice and playful and now you're an egotistical scumbag, who thinks only what _you_ want!"

"Oh really!?"

"Yes, you only consider playing with those _you_ want to play with, go to places _you_ want to go to, and, if it doesn't fit your convenience, you just find any freakin' way to avoid it! Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if you made your face bigger on National News just because it suits your sweet self! If that doesn't cut it, you also never kept to your promise you made to me about getting me out of my mud hole place I'm having to live in with my dad to pay off his stupid debts, among other things!"

"And you never tried keeping yours either, right?" Seto smirked as Joey's lips made a firm line. "Try all you want to defend your case, but it comes down to you trying to beat me up just to get that mess of a friend to leave you alone, so the rest of your day can be sunshine and roses. I've done terrible things in my life, but I try to make myself a better person. I own a company, I study, I pay the bills, I take care of Mokuba, I put a dang roof over our heads. You haven't done a single thing to try to improve yourself, except talk about how miserable you are and how pathetic your father is. Funny, people like that usually turn into their father. At least, if I turn into Gozoburro, I'd still be able to provide for myself and my family, while you stay in that _mud hole_ of a life of not trying to gain anything to improve your life, considering your poor grades, and punching your problems on other people weaker than you."

"I'M NOTHING LIKE MY FATHER!"

"You're right," Seto said, narrowing his eyebrows. "He has the excuse of alcohol addition and depression. What excuse do you have?"

Things began turning around in five seconds. In the first second, Joey threw his fist right at the corner of Seto's jaw, knocking him off his feet and onto the ground. In the second second, Joey froze in shock, staring at his fist. In the third second, Joey stared at Seto, who got up, wiping some blood from his mouth. In the fourth second, Seto gave Joey a look he never saw in him in his life. It was the same look he remembered seeing in his mother, when his dad threw his beer bottle and shouted at her to "GET OUT!" In the fifth second, Joey turned and ran out of the alley as fast as he could, regretting everything that happened only those five seconds ago and not knowing any way he could say he never meant any of it.

_If only he could take everything back._

The punch wasn't too bad and the bleeding was only minimum. Seto was used to getting hurt like this, but it was never from Joey. He knew it was his fault. If he hadn't stirred Joey up, he wouldn't have been so pissed off that he punched Seto the way he did. Though, it wasn't like Joey didn't deserve it! He had that slander coming to him.

But... if Joey had that coming to him... Seto began wondering why he felt like curling up in a dark corner and crying every last tear from his eyes. There was so much going on and he didn't want to let it out. _He didn't have time for it! He had to be at work in 30 minutes!_

Seto sat in the dark alley him and Joey had their fight at before returning to work. He did clean himself up from the blood and was able to buy some foundation to cover up the bruise. He walked back to his office, returning back to work as Mokuba looked over at his direction from his own desk.

"Hey Seto, is something bothering you? You came a bit later than usual," Mokuba asked.

"I'm fine. A few things got in the way. You should be getting back to work," Seto replied coldly.

"Yes Seto."

Mokuba knew his brother had been hurt by the look in his eyes. Seto had been hurt plenty of times by Gozoburro, but it seemed as though the wound was cut seriously deep. Mokuba feared to question Seto some more, but he couldn't help worrying. Maybe it was better to just not say anything and maybe talk to Seto when they returned home.

Mokuba tried finding different ways of talking to his brother and finding out what was bothering him, but couldn't figure out what to say. Seto seemed quiet and cold throughout the whole day. Even during his worst days, Seto never acted quiet _and_ cold. Mokuba knew he had to say something.

"S-Seto, I-" Mokuba began before Hobson arrived.

"I'm... sorry to bother you both, but... there's someone, who wants to see you," Hobson said.

"Who?" Seto asked.

"He says 'a friend who's really sorry' as he puts it. He seems a bit-"

"I know who he is, let him through," Seto said, getting up from the table. Mokuba got up until. "Mokuba, you stay put until I get back." Mokuba slowly sat back down, staring worriedly at his brother, who walked out the door.

Seto walked outside, then down the steps as he watched his gates open to let Joey though, who was walking his bicycle through the driveway, which circled around a huge fountain at the end. Seto wore a purple decorative trench coat over a green shirt and black jeans. Joey parked his bike along the driveway, then walked up to Seto, who waited at the bottom of the steps.

Seto and Joey exchanged glances, both could see hurt in the other's eyes, especially Joey's, considering his eyes were red. Joey took a huge bow, his hands on his thighs.

"I'm so sorry, Seto!" Joey cried out, then stood straight up. "You're right, Tristan and I are jerks alot of the times and I shouldn't have said any of those things or threw that punch! I'm just sick of you and Tristan always badgering on each other and not giving each other a chance. It doesn't make what I did right, but... I don't know... I- please accept my apology!"

"I do," Seto replied, sighing. "And I'm sorry too." He made a huge bow too. "I shouldn't have pushed you over the edge."

"But you were right... I do pick on the weak and I am turning into my father! You're a jerk, but you've also been hurt! It's as you stated, at least you're _trying_ to make something out of yourself. I'm just picking up where my father left off, without the alcohol addiction."

"Being hurt doesn't give us a free pass, Joey," Seto said quietly, his voice growing softer. "There are mistakes we do, because we're human, but we can better ourselves with what we do and how we act. I haven't been a good example to you. I promised one of my teachers I would be a good example to you and I broke it... I'm sorry for that too."

"Seto..."

"There's something I want to show you," Seto said, inviting Joey into his mansion. Joey followed him to the living room where he opened his laptop and connected the internet wire to the connector. He double clicked on Internet Explorer, then the screen popped up, including a little mini screen in front of it, which showed Seto's username and a blank password. Seto typed his password, then clicked Dial before it disappeared and another mini screen replaced it, showing a computer on one end and the globe on the other, a line connecting them, with the bottom showed a loading bar. A green light was moving from one end of the bar to the other as the computer made a connection noise to indicate that the computer was connecting to the internet.

"Don't you wish you could just instantly go on the internet without hearing that annoying thing?" Joey smirked.

"I think they're in the process of making it happen."

"Really? That'll be nice! When will that be?"

"I think a few years from now around 2000 sometime. It's 1997, so I would say that'd be three years from now," Seto said, then the mini screen disappeared and his internet browser popped up, shouting _"YOU'VE GOT MAIL!"_

"So, what is it you wanted to show me, money bags?"

"This..." Seto said, typing a few things on his laptop, then instantly went to a bank site, after about a minute or so. He clicked his username and password to his bank, then pressed Enter.

_"Why are you showing me your bank account?"_ Joey asked in boredom.

"After I took over Kaiba Corp, I created a new account," Seto explained as the screen appeared, showing over 200,000 yen. "This should be enough to cover for Serenity's surgery." Joey's mouth gaped, staring at Seto in utter shock. "I'm not perfect, but I try to keep my promises the best I can."

"Why didn't you _tell_ me!?"

"I wanted to make sure it was the perfect amount to cover any sort of cost and I had just made it to the perfect amount yesterday. It was supposed to be a surprise."

Joey could not find any words for what he just saw and witnessed. His legs began turning to jello and felt even more guilty about the way he treated Seto at the alley. He turned the internet off, then placed a hand on Joey's shoulder, his eyes softening up again.

"I've missed you so much when we parted. Having you around means... alot. I like having someone with me to keep me stable and... secure. I've been alone, since I was adopted by Gozoburro. Seeing you again means more to me than my own job or every yen I have in my bank. You're my family... you've always _been_ my family, since the day we met," Seto said quietly, his hand slowly slipping from Joey's shoulder and feeling heavy on the inside.

"I've missed you too, bro. Seto... I like you alot. You're my best friend and my companion. No matter how much of a jerk you are, you're the only one I can talk to that listens to me and never judges what I do!"

"You never judge me either, and maybe that's because you know what I was like before Gozoburro."

"I suppose if I had not known what kind of person you were back at the orphanage, I'd probably be like Tristan, but I'm glad I've met you. You're a good person. I might need to pull teeth a bit to find it, but it's there and I can see it clearly."

"I'm glad I met you too. You're a big time underdog, but you've surpassed your own limitations so many times. I admire your will to never give up the fight and eventually learn your own strengths and using your weaknesses as them. There's always more to you than meets the eye and I really like you for that!"

"You think you would've known that, if we had not met at the orphanage?"

"Probably not. In fact, we'd probably be enemies."

Seto and Joey laughed together as Seto scratched the corner of his eye, saying, "I must've caught onion in my eye or something."

"Right, because it just _happens_ to be in the living room!" Joey teased Seto, who shot him a glare. "Hey, I'm not gonna judge you." He walked up to Seto, then took a hold of his hand. "We're friends, remember?"

Seto sniffed before a single tear rolled down his left eye, his and Joey's fingers lacing together. Seto quickly wiped the tear with the hand, Joey had a hold of, before quickly walking to the dinning room and saying, "that was just weird!"

Joey chuckled, rolling his eyes, as he followed Seto to the kitchen to join with him and Mokuba for supper.

Seto did keep his promise to Joey to pay for Serenity's eye surgery, including helping him pay for an apartment to live in. Joey decided to study hard in school to work on keeping his end of the promise he made with Seto eight years ago. While they were silly little promises, they meant more to Joey than anything else. He was willing to keep that promise no matter what it took and Seto felt no different with every promise he made.

Promises don't break or mend friendships. Though, they can hurt or bring happiness. One should never make foolish promises. One should not break a promise either, unless it means breaking the law. Promises are meant to be used carefully like a fragile antique and never overused or mishandled. If a promise is used to boost one's ego or other selfish means, then that promise should probably never be made.

Let your yes's be yes and no's be no. Make a promise on _special_ times.

**A/N: And that's the end of the story folks! For the most part, I wanted this story to focus on the idea of how much weight a promise can have. While the middle of the story never really focuses on the idea of promises, the consequences Seto and Joey do face because of a foolish promise Seto made does bring its point across of the downsides of making a foolish promise. As I stated, I'm surprised that there's not an adult show that mentions this topic, because how many adults today make foolish promises that end up bringing up negative consequences? In fact, most of us have a problem with keeping promises and it's probably, because many of us make _foolish promises_. Kid shows have different lessons on this subject like "don't break a promise," "be careful what you promise," etc. I say "don't misuse a promise you make." Nobody's perfect, so I'd say it's wise to just stick to yes or no answers and save promises for a rainy day. Now, is that to say that you're _never_ going to break a promise once in your life? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA no. Yeah, the "don't make promises you can't keep" can shoot itself, because anything can happen. **


End file.
